Essay 3 Final outline

1. The US constitution gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state governments:

a. Many Americans feared that this recentralization of power would threaten the popular governments established in the states, just as the British imperial government had threatened them in the previous decades. The Ant federalists by David j. Siemers

b. Once senators were elected into office, it brought major concern they would stay in the senate for life.

c. Although Delaware was first to ratify, there were many anti-federalists that believed to remain with the bill of rights we have.

i. Nearly impossible to form one common government among many states of variety (pg 69)

ii. America is unorganized, we feel that its impossible for one government to form from the states.

d. Tyranny could just as easily be imposed from an American capital as it had been from London. The Anti federalists by David j. Siemers

e. In objecting to the constitution, the anti federalists hoped to preserve state autonomy against another external assault. They literally thought that they were conserving the result of the American Revolution.

i. The Anti federalists by David j. Siemers

f.Antifederalists found a good deal more evidence that Federalists hoped to consolidate the thirteen states into a single political entity, thus threatening popular government.

i. The Anti federalists by David j. Siemers


2. There was a Bill of Rights:

a. People claimed during the ratification debates in 1787 and 1788, protections for fundamental rights like free speech, religious liberty, jury trials, and due process.

b. Delaware created their own Bill of Rights. They were becoming strong, building a foundation, and becoming independent as a state. The United States was unorganized and did not even have unity as a country. We are flourishing as a state, not as a whole country, thus we want to stay independent.

c. Religion-Practicing religion however we wished was one of the primary reasons the first settlers came to America from England so why wouldn't that be included.

3. The Bill of Rights In Delaware:

a. Congress, because of the necessary and proper clause, wielded too much power:

b. The executive branch held too much power.

c. The fact that the Government has the ability and power to reform an old government to please themselves as the leaders can be very harmful to the people.
"That persons entrusted with the Legislative and Executive powers are the trustees and servants of the publick, and as such accountable for their conduct; wherefore, whenever the ends of the Government are perverted and public liberty manifestly endangered by the Legislative singly, or a treacherous combination of both, the people may, and the right ought to, establish a new or reform the old Government."
(The Delaware Bill of Rights of 1776, by Max Farrand The American Historical Review © 1898 American Historical Association.)

4. Other

a. Unfortunately majority ruled for Delaware to ratify the US constitution.

i.“We, the deputies of the people of the Delaware state, in Convention met, having taken in our serious consideration the Federal Constitution proposed and agreed upon by the deputies of the United States in a General Convention held at the city of Philadelphia, on the seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, have approved, assented to, ratified, and confirmed, and by these presents do, in virtue of the power and authority to us given, for and in behalf of ourselves and our constituents, fully, freely, and entirely approve of, assent to, ratify, and confirm, the said Constitution."

b.This way, there would be no risk of tyranny (a form of government in which a single person or organization holds complete power).

c. The Anti-Federalists had members such as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry.

d. Anti-Federalists publicly debated the many elements contained in it. In the end, their words became some of history’s most authoritative texts on what the United States is about and what principles it holds most dear.
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qDNsLCmIChkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA8&dq=delaware+anti+federalist&ots=EhZynwqGRc&sig=1qUltSYM2xfBjyB_c8aYCYUW3FI#PPA7,M1

5. We don’t want to risk giving up the power we have to the government that at this point doesn’t even know what they are doing right now with our country. Our state government would know what's better for Delaware rather than a national government.